{"podcast":{"title":"The Imperfect Buddha Podcast","slug":"the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299","podcast_index_feed_id":5330299,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/NBN9895946868","website_url":"https://imperfectbuddha.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/da8110f4-2ce8-11ec-8d53-87b3421f006a/image/imperfectbuddha2.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"The Imperfect Buddha Podcast","episode_count":127,"summary":"The Imperfect Buddha podcast has been addressing anti-intellectualism and ideological capture in western Buddhism and spirituality more broadly since its inception. It provides a space for dynamic conversations designed to bring out what is so often hidden and so often despised by critics and intellectuals engaging with contemporary forms of practice. Matthew O’Connell hosts the Imperfect Buddha podcast and writes at The Imperfect Buddha site. Email: imperfectbuddha@outlook.com. Twitter: @imperfectbuddha. Facebook: @imperfectbuddha. Original street art Buddha image by Bristol's Banksy.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-27T14:22:21.309456+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299"},"episode":{"title":"105 Ken McLeod on the Magic of Vajrayana","slug":"105-ken-mcleod-on-the-magic-of-vajrayana","published_at":"2023-04-28T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299/105-ken-mcleod-on-the-magic-of-vajrayana","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBN3430536130.mp3?updated=1682250113","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBN3430536130.mp3?updated=1682250113","summary":"“A moving description of a life in practice which goes far beyond text-based ideas of prayer, devotion, guru-connection, or meditation, and most especially of tantric practice.\" Anne Klein, former Chair of the Department of Religion at Rice University. A ground-breaking book, The Magic of Vajrayana (Unfettered Mind Media, 2023) opens new doors to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Vajrayana, one of the most vibrant traditions of mystical practice in the world today. Ken McLeod deploys his considerable skills in translation, teaching, and writing to weave a rich tapestry of the core practices of this tradition and his experience with them. In simple clear English he immerses the reader in the practice of Vajrayana, bridging the gap between classical instruction and idealized descriptions of insights and understandings. Along with two of his previous books, Reflections on Silver River and A Trackless Path, The Magic of Vajrayana completes a trilogy of experiential instruction and guidance in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism. As one of the first generation western practitioners and then teacher, Ken is a contemporary of famous teachers across the American, Canadian and British dharma figures. He both shares concerns with them and has made his own way. He is one of those who have sought to innovate, westernise and explore what happens to Buddhism when it is taken out of a traditional setting. Whether through his Pragmatic Dharma website, or his insistence on finding language that works for those he taught and now writes for, Ken has gone deep into Tibetan Buddhism whilst committing to finding ways to have it speak to westerners: he has in many ways been a key early figure in adapting and westernising Buddhism, specifically Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism from Tibet. Ken’s…","meta_description":"“A moving description of a life in practice which goes far beyond text-based ideas of prayer, devotion, guru-connection, or meditation, and most especiall…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":6492,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299/episodes/105-ken-mcleod-on-the-magic-of-vajrayana/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-imperfect-buddha-podcast-5330299/105-ken-mcleod-on-the-magic-of-vajrayana.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}